All posts tagged Bill Gates

Billionaire metals magnate Vladimir Potanin has become the first Russian tycoon to join Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett’s exclusive The Giving Pledge campaign created to encourage the world’s wealthiest people to give away at least half of their fortunes to charity.

Mr. Potanin is one of a dozennew billionaires from around the world to join the charitable group, bringing the total to 105 people worth a collective $500 billion. Previously, the group’s 93 members had been made up exclusively of American billionaires.

“I join The Giving Pledge because it is an outstanding initiative worthy of support,” Mr. Potanin said in a statement. “I hope that my example will not only tell the world about the renaissance of philanthropy in Russia, but will also inspire my countrymen as well as other people.”

Mr. Potanin, 52, is the fourth-richest person in Russia and the 46th-wealthiest in the world, according to Forbes, with an estimated worth of $14.5 billion. He amassed the bulk of his fortune during the early days of Russia’s privatization after the collapse of the Soviet Union through a variety of enterprises, including metals, mining and banking. Read More »

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